With Anthony Davis in LA, the Sacramento Kings need to swing big this summer

With Anthony Davis now headed to Los Angeles, the Sacramento Kings need to swing big in free agency if they hope to make the playoffs.

Anthony Davis — much to the chagrin of Sacramento Kings fans — is headed for the Los Angeles Lakers, and without making any major moves in free agency, the Kings may not make the playoffs next season.

This is it, Kings fans. The 13-year playoff drought either ends with the help of a new star, or the hopes of ending it are dashed without any major moves in free agency.

This summer, however, isn’t like the summers of yesteryear. The Sacramento Kings are reportedly going to be serious players this offseason, and landing a player like Nikola Vucevic or Tobias Harris will be key to ending their playoff drought next season, but it won’t be as simple as that.

At this point, the Sacramento Kings need to make a big move in free agency, but they also have to be smart moves. This team isn’t one piece away from contention, so a splashy signing (hello, Nikola or Tobias) as well as a solid role player (enter, Danny Green or Patrick Beverley) is really what the Kings need — not just one of the two.

Really, Anthony Davis trade just serves to remind the Kings — and the rest of the league — that the Western Conference isn’t just a scene, it’s a [REDACTED] arms race.

If the Fall Out Boy reference doesn’t convince you, maybe this will: five of the following teams are going to miss the postseason, and while it’s almost impossible to guess which five, the Sacramento Kings are pretty firmly in the “out” category without some serious moves.

• Golden State: Steph Curry and Draymond Green (1st seed last season)
• Denver: Nikola Jokic, Jamaal Murray and Gary Harris (2nd seed)
• Portland: Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic (3rd seed)
• Houston: James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela (?) (4th seed)
• Utah: Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell (5th seed)
• Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams (6th seed)
• San Antonio: DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Derrick White (7th seed)
• Los Angeles Clippers: Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams + max cap space in free agency (8th seed)
• Dallas: Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzings + max cap space in free agency
• New Orleans: Zion Williamson (duh), Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram + 4th overall pick
• Minnesota: Karl Anthony-Towns and…Jeff Teague?
• Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma + max cap space
• Sacramento: Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley + max cap space

That’s, uh, a lot to contend with, and do you trust De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley (players with six combined seasons of experience) to carry the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs without another star? I’m not sure I do.

As for which star they should target, that’s a different question. They’ve only been linked to Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic thus far, and while Harris would be a better fit for the Kings, they can’t really go wrong with either.

If they target Harris though, they’ll need to add both a starting-caliber center and a backup point guard. With Vooch, they just need the latter. Either way, they need to do something.

A summer haul of Dewayne Dedmon and Patrick Beverley would have been ideal on Friday —  especially if Harry Giles takes a leap — but today? That might not even be a top-10 seed, especially if more Eastern Conference All-Stars migrate West.

Add in Vucevic or Harris, and that playoff dream looks more likely, but in a league driven by top-10 players, are we sure two or even three top-30 players would be enough to make the playoffs?

If the Kings couldn’t afford to remain idle in free agency before, it looks like they might have to hit fifth gear if they want to make the postseason now